The Dog: 5,000 Years of The Dog in Art

"Absurd, superb, this richly illustrated and impeccably designed narrative stretches from Eyptian sarcophagi to 'Cave Canem' Roman mosaics to Franz Marc's harmonious zoos, and Lucien Freud's whippets, with art history triumphing over sentiment." The Financial Times, November 29/30 Voted one of the top fifty books of the year, and reviewed by Jackie Wullschiager.

The Dog: 5,000 Years of the Dog in Art, seemed a natural follow on for me after finishing The Horse: 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art, and it was with great relish that I set about a similar exploration of the history of the dog, alongside its role in the arts. Also similar to The Horse book, I found I had far more to say than I had room to write, but I have endeavoured to include a truncated history of the evolution of the dog, the emergence of dog breeds, the different ways the dog has been viewed over history and in different cultures, and the significance of the dog in art.

The dog's place within the arts is particularly fascinating, and in many ways quite different from that of the horse. There is, above all, an extraordinary polarity of symbolism in its depiction, from being symbolic of faithfulness and love to all that is deplorable and lascivious. The book addresses this diversity in perception and depiction in the arts, and traces the changing role of the dog within human society.

" ... this is not a selection of the sorts of pictures usually found on table mats, but an intelligently chosen and entertainingly varied pack of canines, dating from pre-history to the present day, with long, erudite captions." The Sunday Times, November 30, Frank Whitford.

Signed copies of this book are available direct through me, or it can be purchased on amazon or in good book shops

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dog-5000-Years-Art/dp/1858944201